


Justice

by heyjupiter



Category: X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-01
Updated: 2006-08-01
Packaged: 2017-10-17 23:28:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/182505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bobby helps John adjust to his first week at Xavier’s, and they tackle the big issues—video games, Dr. Grey’s rack, and the nature of justice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Justice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oraclejenn](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=oraclejenn).



> Written for: xmmficathon, for oraclejenn who requested "Bobby/John.General friend stuff, slash overtones would be a bonus but not needed."
> 
> Thanks to sionnain for the beta!

  
There was a lot for John to adjust to his first week at Xavier’s. It was nice not having to hide his powers, and it was nice not being yelled at (except sometimes by Mr. Summers), and it was definitely nice not having to worry about anyone here coming home late and taking out their drunken rage on him. The school’s impressive video game library was pretty nice, too.

The classes here took some getting used to, too. He was used to slinking into the back row of overcrowded public schools. Here, it was hard to hide among the other seven students in his class, so he wasn’t sure why he started passing notes with Bobby. Maybe out of habit, maybe just to see how much he could get away with, or maybe just because he actually found himself liking his kind of dorky new roommate.

 _I wish Dr. Grey taught this class. She’s got a way better rack than Mr. Summers_ , he wrote, then slid it over to Bobby smooth as ice while Mr. Summers was turned to the chalkboard.

Bobby looked surprised—John doubted if Bobby got passed notes too often—but smirked when he read the note.

 _Nah, class with her is no fun. She always knows when you’re not paying attention._ He passed the note back, nervously.

 _Hadn’t thought of that. Telepathic teachers don’t play fair. How about Ms. Munroe, then? Wouldn’t mind her in that white tank top she has._

“So, if you know the length of two sides, and the measure of one angle, how can you find the rest of the triangle? John?”

The note had just left John’s fingers, and he shrugged and said, “It’s always in the last place you look.” Jubilee giggled, and Mr. Summers gave him a Look. John was pretty sure he was about to use the phrase “apply yourself,” but instead he just asked Kitty. She knew, of course. Ugh, what a nerd.

Bobby had slipped back the note with, _Be careful, you don’t want to piss off Mr. Summers._

 _Whatever, it’s not my fault if the dude doesn’t have a sense of humor. Anyway, what’s the deal with Kitty? Is her mutant power the ability to suck up to teachers?_

 _No, she can phase through walls and stuff. Anyway, Kitty’s really nice._

John rolled his eyes at that last message. Bobby could be so lame sometimes. He gave up and stuck the note back into his binder, returning to obscene doodles to keep him entertained during class.

Finally, Mr. Summers dismissed them. John hastily grabbed his stuff and made for a quick exit, but Mr. Summers was fast and called his name before John could reasonably pretend he hadn’t heard.

“Yeah?” he asked, bracing himself for a lecture, not that he cared or anything, but still he’d kind of hoped he could go at least a week here without pissing anyone off.

“I know it’s tough coming here from a different school. I’d be happy to tutor you if you need any help, and I’m sure Bobby would too.”

“I’m not stupid or anything,” John mumbled.

“No,” Mr. Summers agreed, “you’re not. But if you haven’t covered this material before, talking to me outside of class would be preferable to distracting Bobby during class, alright?”

John nodded and Mr. Summers smiled. “Well, have a good afternoon, John. I’ll see you at dinner.”

He found Bobby in their room, already starting on homework already. “Bobby, we just got done with class, what the hell are you doing with work again so soon?”

Bobby looked up, either amused or annoyed; John couldn’t tell which. Maybe both. “Hey, what’d Mr. Summers want?”

“Oh, he asked me about that note and I told him that you just wouldn’t stop pestering me with your graphic fantasies about Dr. Grey, no matter how many times I told you to stop. I recommend he get you some counseling for your sick obsession.”

“Very funny.”

“Mr. Summers didn’t seem to think so.”

“Seriously though, did he read it?” Bobby was unconvincingly nonchalant.

John sighed. “No, he just wanted to make sure I’m not retarded at math.”

“He knows you’re not retarded at math. You took the placement test and he didn’t put you in with the younger kids. And you did last night’s homework way faster than me.”

“Maybe that just means you’re even more retarded at math than me.”

Bobby gave him a Look, and John was reminded of Mr. Summers.

“Swear to god, Bobby, if you tell me anything about living up to my potential, I’ll torch your comics collection.”

Bobby laughed uneasily. “Hey, I’m not your teacher or anything, I just… I’m here if you need to talk. Or anything. Or if you want to borrow any of my comics.”

John smirked. “Yeah, those would be cool, if I was eight.”

"Aww, come on,” Bobby said, “a lot of comics are really pretty cool. They’re getting more realistic—the Justice League has a new member, she’s a mutant—“

“I bet I could take the Justice League in a fight,” John said.

“I don’t know, Superman’s pretty tough.”

“I’d just torch him.”

“Alright, but Wonder Woman’s rack might stop you, too.”

John laughed, more because it was hilarious hearing Bobby use the word “rack” than anything else.

“I’m serious, check this out!” he said, grabbing a comic from under the bed and thrusting it at him.

John had to admit, Wonder Woman did have a pretty great rack.

“Anyway,” Bobby continued, “I bet you’d have trouble with Aquaman. How are you going to fight him with fire?”

John shrugged. “He dehydrates after too long on land. I’d just have to keep him from getting back in water.”

Bobby quirked his eyebrows in a way that was almost cute, and said “I thought you said you didn’t like comics?”

Another shrug. “At my last foster home one of the other guys had a bunch and I read ‘em sometimes if nothing was on TV. They didn’t have cable or anything.”

“Oh.”

“Hey, you know how you said that new character was a mutant?”

“Yeah, Lady Phenom?”

“Uh, her, I guess. Anyway, aren’t all superheroes like mutants kind of? The ones with powers anyway?”

“No! I mean, Superman is an alien, and Aquaman is an Atlantean, and Spider-Man got bit by a radioactive spider. It’s different.”

“What about Wonder Woman? What’s her deal?”

“She’s an Amazonian.”

“Oh. Right. Geek. But my point is they’re not really human, I guess. And they have cool powers. So how come everyone loves them, but not mutants?”

Now it was Bobby’s turn to shrug. “Well, they’re not real. I guess if people really had to live next door to Superman maybe they’d be pissed too.”

“Yeah, he’d probably always be spying on everybody with his X-ray vision and shit. I wouldn’t mind living next door to Wonder Woman, though.”

“Are girls all you ever think about?”

John paused before saying, “Nah, sometimes I think about video games.” He was pretty sure straight-laced Bobby Drake wasn’t asking what John thought he was. “Anyway, it still sucks, is all I’m saying,” he added.

“It’s gonna take time,” Bobby said. “Professor Xavier and everyone here is working for mutant equality, but it can’t happen overnight. I’m sure in the future there will be tons of comic books about mutants.”

“Yeah,” John said. “Just like how, thanks to the Civil Rights movement, now there are tons of black comic book characters.”

Bobby looked uncomfortable. “Well, there’s… one of the Green Lanterns is black. Um, and I’m sure there’s more, I just can’t think of them. Anyway, it’s not like comic books are a good measure of equality.”

“Well, then what is a good measure of equality? When will there be justice for mutants?”

Bobby picked up another comic. “There’s always justice in these,” he said, and the two read in silence until dinner.


End file.
